I am amused on how there are so many vendors selling their third gen cars as something that they are not. No R.P.O. codes listed to verify the true nature of the vehicle in question. Who else has noticed this occurrence lately?

 

Lately? Nope. I've bee noticing it for the 18yrs I've owned them.

Most companies exist to make money, now, and not care about anything else. Welcome to unregulated capitalism lol. It's a "buyer beware" market.

 

Wait, you mean all Thirdgens don't have "Corvette 350"s in them?

 

Some have a HO 305

 

When I bought my Iroc Z from Ebay, the guy selling it didn't even know the car was optioned with the G92 package. I asked for the RPO codes and I was pleasantly surprised at how optioned it was, he had no idea, and didn't even bother to research into it. His loss my gain hahahah.

 

I bought one that was listed as a 5.0 on e-Bay, but from the VIN I knew it was the 5.7. I drove it out of the shop and to this day they have no idea it was a 350.

E-Bay & Craigslist are the easiest places to pick up cars cheap. Find somebody who doesn't care enough about their car to clean it up & take good pictures, research and write an informative description and you've got somebody who has no idea what their car is truly worth.

 

That's what im saying.

Check out this gem I got, completely restored interior, new front end, 5 speed, G92.

It will be here today or tomorrow and im really excited lol.

 

Nice!

 

Wow! Great find. That interior is awesome and a 5spd to boot!

 

Very nice find, like that interior.

 

Here is a couple more shots of interior.

 

Every day I look on line I see cars that misrepresent what the vehicle really is. Specifically, I see more wrongly labeled Formula's than real ones. At this point in time, so many of our cars have been modified, finding an original takes work or luck.

 

Speaking of which, I am having trouble telling if these are stock foglights. I don't think they are, but they look pretty similar.

 

Mine are original equipment, here is a close up.

 

Crap.

 

Don't forget all the GTAs and Formulas that have the "rare" WS6 option. You know, the option that is standard on all of them.

 

A tale of two cars.

In the last week while searching around CL, I came across a couple of examples of modified car ads.
Car one was a beautiful 1989 Formula 350 w T tops. The owner had done several modifications. Starting with a 91 front end, 4th gen seats, 350 motor and more. He detailed all he had done to the car. Though not original, he did a great job and the paint job was perfect. He wanted good money for the car and will probably sell it.

Car two was advertised as an all original Firebird Formula. It had the wrong spoiler, no rear disc brakes, ground effects and the wrong front end effects. The only thing that was Formula related was the Formula sticker on the side. Obviously this was not a Formula.

I don't mind someone who has created the car he wanted. When selling he was upfront about the changes. The other seller either didn't know what he had or was trying to pass the car off for what it was not. I see a lot of the 2nd type of ad. Until I was shown how to tell the difference from all the help here, I was confused all the time from claims about cars in ads.

 

In general, sellers feel that any modification they do to their cars, no matter how dubious, equals value added. Unless you have executed those changes flawlessly and tastefully, (usually not the case, in my experience), those changes usually drop the value.

 

You're so right. In the case of car one, it was obvious the guy knew what he was doing. He had a plan and made the changes so everything looked right. He used an original 3rd gen motor, the front end change was because he liked it and not because of a wreck, the seats because he wanted the nicer 4th gen electric w/lumbar. The pictures were impressive. Even the interior looked right with the changes. It looked like a new car.

But of coarse he is an exception. Most never complete, or do the details right. The web is full of half done projects. Most don't plan them very much, just piece things together as their minds change.

 

Remember the golden rule of thirdgens for the uneducated.

All Trans Ams are GTAs
All non Trans Ams are Formulas
All Camaros are IROCs.

 

Unfortunately, most guys don't have the experience or the resources to present good cars well for sale....some don't even vacuum them or throw out the trash! Even if you don't have a good car to start with, do the best with what you've got. Accent the good, be honest about the bad and be fair about the price. That's how it gets done!

 

I have purchased cars with McDonalds backs still in the car, change in the ashtray, and tools under the seat... Clean them up, and sell them for a profit. A car with garbage will not sell nearly as well as a car that has been detailed.

I agree on tasteful modifications, and not half baked modifications. Using spray cans to repaint your car does not qualify as "fresh paint." Seat Covers do not qualify as a "fresh interior." Removing the Cold Air Intake does not qualify as a "Performance modification." Over rust paint around the wheel wells does not qualify as "Rust Free."



John

 

^But hey, free tools!

 

Parts car I have had a bag of tools in the well with the spare tire, the usual K-Mart quality, all rusted to ****. I did find a half dozen SK sockets however kicking around under the back seat of a GTO a few years ago - they're still in my tool box.

 

Hey guys, quit telling my secret to buying good cars cheap!

I've bought several cars in the past that were trashed inside or covered in dirt or mud. In all cases the owner had all the service history so I felt comfortable with the mechanics. However they were slobs. In each case I saved thousands. 2-3 days later, they looked great.

Many years ago I bought a SUV cheap from a mechanic to flip. It was his vehicle, and ran great. Inside it was trashed with dirt and oil everywhere. I cleaned and detailed that car for 3+ days. All but 2 stains in the carpet came out and they were covered by mats. My wife who thought I was crazy buying the car in the first place came out to look at the results. Her first words were "Do we really have to sell this, I want it." She drove it for the next 5 years!

 

Another place to look for tools in in the junkyard... amazing the things people do not clean out when they total a car..

 

Other junk yarders also lose a lot of tools (myself included) in/around cars. I am sure that at least two people have scored Craftsman 13mm ratcheting wrenches from me...

 

I have a kit that has a particular place for every piece. I know where everything goes, and I will not leave until all my pieces are accounted for.

 

Yeah, I am getting better about that but not being a very organized person I still fail from time to time.

 

No worries, it is the only thing that is technically organized for me.